Emphysema

People who suffer from severe emphysema have difficulty breathing due to poor pulmonary function. Poor pulmonary function affects all facets of daily living and results in a diminished quality of life. Very often, severe emphysema affects certain regions of the lung more than others. These more diseased and poorly functioning regions or segments, become enlarged. This compresses the healthier lung segments and impairs breathing. Removal or reduction of these enlarged and poorly functioning segments decompresses the healthier lung resulting in improved breathing and quality of life.

Emphysema’s Effect on the Lungs

Healthy lung tissue is spongy and elastic, with hundreds of millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli that absorb oxygen into the bloodstream and remove carbon dioxide.

In emphysema patients, certain regions of these air sacs are destroyed, as are the attachments holding the airways open. The lung tissue becomes over-stretched losing its sponge-like characteristics and ability to function normally. This results in enlarged hyperinflated segments that impinge on healthier lung tissue regions.

With a controlled spray of precisely targeted vapor, InterVapor technology selectively ablates only the diseased lung tissue segments. The application of the vapor and subsequent reduction of the most diseased lung area decreases the size and volume of the diseased lung segment. The increased space in the chest allows for healthy lung regions to expand and function better. More air can flow in and out of the lungs, for more efficient breathing and improved quality of life. InterVapor is:

Non-surgical therapy – no surgical recovery period

Non-implant treatment – no worry about the short- and long-term complications associated with implants

Able to offer additional treatment over time – because there is currently no cure for emphysema, and because the disease progresses over time, it is important to have the possibility for additional treatment in the future. In many cases, vapor ablation affords the opportunity for additional ablation over time as the disease inevitably progresses.